An adventurer who died of hypothermia during a ferocious sub-zero blizzard
spoke to his parents in a desperate last telephone call in which he pleaded
for help, an inquest heard.

Philip Goodeve-Docker, was trapped in 160mph winds and temperatures as low as -4F (-70C) two days into a 30-day, 400-mile charity fund-raising trek across the Greenland ice cap.

The 31-year-old from Chilbolton in Hampshire spoke to his parents as he and two friends huddled in their tent as it was ripped apart by wind and crushed by ice. His parents attempted to hurry up rescuers, but the storm made attempts to find the men impossible.

Mr Goodeve-Docker, an events organiser, died hours before the group was finally reached by helicopter at noon on April 28, two days after the storm hit.

The group managed to make an emergency satellite telephone call to Mr Goodeve-Docker’s parents in Britain, the inquest in Basingstoke heard.

The other men — the team leader Roan Hackney, 31, and Andrew Norman, 33 — survived the ordeal with frostbite, and Mr Norman has lost toes and fingers.

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The group was dropped into the barren landscape by helicopter on April 25, with a satellite telephone to use in emergencies. Their first day passed without incident, but the weather worsened the next night as they bedded down in their tent, taking in enough supplies for three days. Winds pummelled their tent with snow and ice, which built up outside, causing the three support poles to collapse.

Mr Hackney, of New Cross in south London, told the inquest: “The tent was crushed and caved in on top of us. It offered us no insulation and only our bodies were holding it up.

“It was at this point we decided we were in need of emergency evacuation. The extreme weather was relentless. I was concerned we would suffocate under a blanket of snow. We huddled up, with our bodies intertwined, trying to preserve as much body heat as possible.

“I was calling out their names, and kept trying to break into song and strike up conversation to keep our spirits up. But at this stage our minds were fixed solely on survival. We were exhausted.”

Mr Hackney, who gave evidence with his arm in a sling, left the tent to try to clear the snow but was forced to retreat when his face was covered in ice within seconds. “Reality struck and the possibility that we might not make it came to mind,” he said.

“It was not a game. It was not human versus human, but human versus the elements. I told Phil and Andy that if they wanted to call home, then they should. We were just trying to stay alive minute by minute.” During the call to Mr Goodeve-Docker’s parents, they were assured that help was on its way.

Mr Norman, from Bracknell Forest, near Ascot, Berks, said he had sought refuge under a sledge in the final hours but also lost consciousness. “Phil froze to death in front of me before I left the tent. I knew he was dead,” he added.

Mr Goodeve-Docker died of respiratory and circulation failure as a result of hypothermia. Andrew Bradley, the North East Hamp­shire coroner, recorded a verdict of death by misadventure, adding: “I find it almost perverse that the fund-raising that was due to take place with an adventure became the most appalling misadventure. Never was a verdict so appropriate.”